This invention relates to a hydraulic cylinder comprising a cylinder, a piston which is adjustable in the cylinder, and at least one pressure connection which is disposed in the vicinity of an end position of the piston and by means of which a pressure fluid can be introduced into the cylinder.
To minimize the inertia forces and noises during retraction of the piston of the hydraulic cylinder to its end position, there is usually employed a hydraulic end position damping. The flow cross-section of the pressure fluid displaced is closed in in dependence on the path shortly before reaching the limit stop, so that a rather constant deceleration of the piston is achieved by increasing the flow cross-section. To provide for a rather quick, undamped extension of the piston in the opposite direction, a check valve is usually provided, by means of which the incoming pressure fluid can evade the increased flow resistance.
What is disadvantageous in the known end position dampings is the fact that there are always required additional, moving components. Moreover, due to the available small space within the cylinder it is very difficult to accommodate a reliably operating end position damping.